Chapter 3: The Sun and the Sunflower
by Shadow989
Summary: Chapter 3 of my BTT fanfic!


Bridge to Terabithia: Chapter 3 The Sun and the Sunflower

It's been weeks now after the accident and everything seemed to go back to normal, well as normal as it could be. There were a little bit of changes here and there, Leslie, since her accidents needs to catch up with some of the curriculum and some of the teachers who were fond of her offered to tutor her after school to better explain all the lessons.

This meant that she had to stay an extra hour after class which she didn't mind. If there was one thing to describe Leslie it would be her insatiable appetite for knowledge. This would come to conflict with Jesse' schedule though, Monday was Math and Wednesday was Science and Thursday was English. This meant that he needed to leave Leslie at school early because he needs to go with May Belle. He tried to beg his mother if it was possible that one of his sisters could take May Belle but no one could because of a conflict of schedules. It was not because his sisters took any extracurricular activities after school but rather their schedule with their boyfriends.

So during the first two weeks that Leslie started the tutoring Jesse had to stay at home look at the mirror and wait until the sky would change colour from the light tainted blue to a mixture of burning pink and orange. Sometimes he would get lucky and he would see Leslie being dropped off by one of the teachers and he would run towards Leslie and walk with her home. But, there are times where he just has to sit and look at the lights at the back of Mr. Burke's car if he fetches Leslie from school but he need not fret for in every time that had happened a phone call would buzz down stairs and he would dash down and steal the phone before Ellie or Brenda could snatch it from him.

And it was fun to see his face light up with joy and his stomach be filled with a mushy feeling. He pass it off as a feeling similar to that of missing someone who he had never talked to for long. He never thought of it as anything else or maybe he was so innocent or naive yet to that idea.

His mother was happy for him though not because he made a friend...the only friend she knew his son had but because of the good effect that Leslie had on him. He was doing chores the moment he comes home from school he would make sure he finishes it before Leslie comes home. His sister found it pathetic though as they think he's acting like a dog excited waiting for his master to come home. Call it what you will but for what its worth she had a positive effect on Jesse.

Then one day the unthinkable happened just as Jesse said goodbye to Leslie and was about to look for May Belle he saw his dad holding his sister's bag. For a moment an intense fear shivered down his spine. "What did I d wrong this time? Did one of my teachers called my parents?" the thought rushed into his head. He neared his dad and felt a heavy lump go down his throat.

"Dad what are you doing here?" his voice almost muffled his eye scared to meet his father's gaze. His dad gave a small cough as if to clear his throat and just as he thought that he was done for he heard a voice crept up from behind him. "Good day, Mr. Aarons" the female voice softly floating into Jesse's ear.

He turned around his eyes opened to see Leslie standing behind him. She had her backpack on one shoulder supported by her arm. She was slumping a little forward her head held up high and a polite yet mischievous smile in front of his dad. "God save me" the thought frantically flying inside Jesse's head, if his dad would choose to he could scold him then and there and the embarrassment could kill him as Leslie would see his dad open up a can of whoop-ass and if that was not enough the rest of the kids would see it.

But before his wide-eyed-face would get a grasp of what is happening his attention was caught by May Belle's voice saying hi to Leslie. For a moment the tension was broken and he managed to pull himself back down to earth.

"Hi Leslie, how is the tutoring going?" Mr. Aaron said looking at Leslie.

"Well it's going great sir but i have to say it kinda is boring here being alone at school" She said her her face so full at expression and ending with a beautiful smile back towards Jesse's dad.

"Is that so, well it's a good thing Jesse would keep you company for a little while"

"Wait...what?" the words automatically from his breathe as he looked at his dad's face and back to Leslie then back to his dad. Did he just hear his dad right? Did he actually implied that he would stay at school to wait for Leslie? Leslie's face lightened up and with her quirky personality almost filling up to the brim with excitement overflowed and gave Mr. Burke a hug and kept repeating thank you again and again.

Dumbfounded Jesse looked at Leslie's face almost glowing with happiness as she hugged his dad tight. And in a almost slow motion manner he looked at his dad who smiled back, his expression was familiar that joy on his face Jesse remembered seeing. It was the same face his dad wore when his sister's would give their dad a hug and thanks for buying them new clothes at the mall. He knew his dad loved the attention.

"Okay, okay just take it easy" his dad said as he patted Leslie's head. He looked at her and smiled "So don't give up on your studies okay" he then turned his gaze back to Jess his face changing reverting back to a smirk at his son "and you son maybe you could learn a thing or too from her"

He felt like a heavy stone fall down his gut. Of all the things his dad could say he would imply that Jesse was not doing good at school.

"Oh I will help him with his school work as well. You can count on me Mr. Burke we'll make sure to work hard" Leslie said as he grabbed Jesse's arm while trying to pull Jesse back to the classroom.

"Dad I..." Jesse said as he was pulled away.

"See you soon son but this doesn't mean you're off the hook with your chores" but before he could even give a reply or even a wave goodbye to May Belle he was to far now and only saw the double doors close in front of his face.

Sitting inside the empty classroom watching Leslie wipe the chalk off the blackboard Jesse could only think of one thing.

"What just happened?" he said, Leslie stopped and looked back at Jesse.

"What's do you mean what just happened, I just saved you" Leslie said as she smiled back her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "I knew you were scared and for a moment I thought you were going to throw up or something" Leslie said trying to tease Jesse.

"Nah-uh, I wasn't going to...I never" but before he could finished he realized that Leslie could not have seen him since she was inside the classroom so how could she have known? "Wait a minute how did you saw me you weren't...unless you were looking at me as I walked away. Were you spying on me? Isn't that a little creepy Leslie?"

Leslie's face turned red as she was caught off guard "What? You think I would spy on you what makes you so special Jesse Aaron's and besides you're the one who's spying on me. Looking at the window waiting until I got home" Leslie retorted back her cheeks flushing red.

"Well...thats...uhmm...you're crazy what do you mean waiting on the window"

"I could see your shadow from your room ever thought of turning off the lights"

"What?! That's crazy talk I would never and besides even it were true it's different!"

"How is it different?" Leslie said as she stood right in front of Jesse both her hands on the desk looking down at the sitting Jesse.

Jesse's face turning red as he stared at Leslie's eyes, he tried to look at something else as he felt his heart raising.

"Well Jesse I'm waiting"

"Sunflower..." he murmured.

"What does it have to do with a sunflower?" Leslie taken aback from the weird answer she was given.

"I don't know Ellie told me that I was like a sunflower looking towards the sun. I don't get it either but I think it has something to do with missing someone. And I do miss you that's why sometimes i like to look towards your direction...isn't that what friends do?" Jesse could feel the heat from his face focusing on his ears and cheeks. He kept looking down at the desk afraid that Leslie would laugh at his face. But there was nothing he raised his head to see Leslie's face all red smiling at him.

"Leslie are you mad at me?" he said and Leslie just shook her head and gave out a huge sigh.

"You know Jesse I'm not really sure if you intentionally beat around the bush or you're as clueless as ever?" she said and stared at Jesse and gave out another sigh and continued " But thank you and i feel the same way as well" and smiled at Jesse.

"Huh, what did you mean..." but before he could finish the question a teacher came into the classroom and to Jesse's fear it was Monster mouth Myers. He kept his mouth shut as Leslie and Mrs. Myers started with their lesson. And at the corner of his mind he thought that it might not have been a good idea to stay at school with Leslie.

An hour felt like an eternity and all he could do was nothing but sit there and listen and look at Leslie. A king protects his queen he remembered. He stared at Leslie and the longer he looks at her the more he appreciated how pretty Leslie really was. He liked her smile and for some reason he thinks that Leslie might actually have one of the perfect smile he had ever seen. Jesse started to also notice how full of expression her eyes were as well he could easily see the slight little changes from being happy and being annoyed from not understanding Mrs. Myers lesson.

"How come I never noticed how pretty she is" he said to himself, he could not understand what he was feeling he knew he appreciate Leslie as a person and that she is kind and beautiful but something tells him or rather a feeling that it should not go beyond than that. Then a thought came to his mind something that grabbed his heart and tried to squeeze it a feeling of dread of fear. What if something should happen again what if someone would hurt Leslie?

He heard Mrs. Myers give a sigh of frustration. "I'm sorry Mrs. Myers but could you run that back to me again I'm having trouble understanding this part" she said her voice polite slightly defeated and embarrassed that she could not absorb the lesson being taught to her.

It isn't her fault she's tired from a whole day of studying now she is forced to take this remedial classes to catch up... give her a Goddamn break that thought inside Jesse's mind.

"What's not to understand Leslie its simple" Mrs. Myers said as she explained again. However to the ears of young Jesse Aarons the thought of the teacher belittling his precious friend is starting to consume his heart with a blind fury. He then snaps out as he saw that in his silent rage he snapped his pencil in two.

A noble king indeed... he said to himself disappointed that he broke one of the pencils Leslie gave him.


End file.
